music, theatre and dance - College of Liberal Arts

THE SCHOOL OF
MUSIC, THEATRE AND DANCE
Greetings from
the Chair
Welcome to
Summer 2015!
Last year we
celebrated our
fifth anniversary in the University Center
for the Arts,
and concluded
our opening
campaign,
“Meet Me at
the UCA.” We hope that you now truly
feel that “This is Your UCA,” our new
campaign for art, dance, theatre, and
music at Colorado State.
In our programming, as in our
academics, we have been deliberate in
establishing a vision for the arts which
showcases our talented, dedicated
students and faculty, and also serves
the needs and expectations of our
campus and community.
I encourage you to take a few
moments to read about the exciting
news and events happening in the
School of Music, Theatre and Dance,
and hope you will make plans to join us
for a performance this year!
Paul Metz
Interim Chair, School of Music, Theatre
and Dance
An equal-opportunity University.
Program Notes
from the School of
Music, Theatre
and Dance
This fall, the School
of Music, Theatre and
Dance and the Fort
Collins Lincoln Center
launched the Classical
Convergence Concert
Series, featuring traditional classical solo artists
and chamber ensembles,
while further exploring
the full spectrum of the
classical music genre. Built on the classical concert
programs of both organizations, the co-produced
season features seven world-class performers and
ensembles, including Grammy award-winning
violinist Joshua Bell, as well as pianist Jeremy Denk,
Mother Falcon, Borromeo String Quartet, Orchid
Ensemble, Classical Jam, and the Mendelssohn
Trio. More information and tickets are available at
tickets.lctix.com.
For the eighth consecutive year, students
from Colorado State University’s theatre
program took home major awards at the regional
Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival,
held at Boise State University in February. Following their qualification at regionals, two students
traveled to Washington, D.C. in April to compete at
the 48th annual national conference, where, since
2007, CSU students have distinguished themselves
as national award-winners in Stage Management,
Acting, Lighting Design, Sound Design, and
Playwriting. The 2014 national winners were:
• Barbizon Lighting Design Competition:
Andy Killion ’13, 2nd Place National Lighting
Designer
• O’Neil Theatre Sound Design Fellowship:
Emma Kimball ‘13, Internship Placement
This summer, the Colorado State University Faculty Chamber Winds embarked on a
two-week European tour, performing at festivals,
conservatories, and historic sites in Austria and
Hungary. The anchor event of the tour was the
annual Mid Europe Music Festival, held in Schladming and Haus/Ennstal, Austria, where the ensemble performed five concerts at a variety of venues.
According to the festival’s website, “MID EUROPE
is one of the most important international festivals
for wind bands, and proudly presents an enormous
stylistic variety of the highest quality.” The ensemble was invited based on the group’s innovative
repertoire, arrangements, and recordings of the last
two years and was a fantastic opportunity to expose
the CSU music brand internationally.
The CSU Dance Teachers’ Institute (DTI),
under the direction of faculty member Carol
Roderick, has initiated a Continuing Education
Program for pre-college students. The program
evolved from an on-going collaboration with High
Country Conservatory of Dance in Fort Collins
as the conservatory’s ballet teachers are all CSU
alumni. For several years, the teachers pursued
pedagogical certification through the continuing
education programs of the DTI. Aspiring students
from High Country auditioned for the Pre-College
program in June. Those who were accepted will
begin training at CSU two days per week in the fall.
They will study technique, pointe, and repertoire.
The Theatre Program at Colorado State
University enjoyed an extraordinary 2013–14
season, including original adaptations, innovative
technology, and distinguished guests that made
for a transformative experience. To further the
inventive approach, the program instituted “Tweet
Seats” – an opportunity for live social media photos, videos, comments, and questions during the
performance in what critics have deemed “a revolutionary move in the field” that has long battled
against technology. With live streaming previews,
big name guest artists, and free tickets on Thursdays and Sundays, CSU theatre is reigniting the fire
of live theatre, bringing more patrons, particularly
the harder to capture younger audiences, into the
arts. “We are changing the landscape, making live
theatre-going an essential habit,” said Walt Jones,
director of Theatre & Dance.
Annual Holiday Spectacular
Concert Supports Music
Scholarships
For what has become an annual holiday tradition,
CSU performed its Holiday Spectacular Concert at
the UCA in December, featuring performances by
250 musicians in the CSU Choirs, the University
Symphony Orchestra,
and other special
guests, in a charming
evening of traditional
secular and sacred
holiday music. This
was the first year,
however, that proceeds from the concert went to support
music scholarships
for students.
“This concert was very special to me in many
ways,” said Paul Metz, chair of the School of Music,
Theatre and Dance. “Not only did we get to enjoy a
lovely holiday program, but we had the opportunity to support the talented young
musicians on stage in a meaningful
way.”
Between net ticket sales and additional donations made during the performances,
the Holiday Spectacular raised over $12,600 for
music scholarships at CSU.
Alumni Band Reunion
This fall, during Homecoming & Family Weekend
at CSU, we celebrated 100 years of Homecoming
with a great turnout for our Alumni Band Homecoming Reunion on Oct. 17 and 18. The air was full
of RAM pride as 50 marching band alumni took
the field with the current band for pre-game and
halftime during the Rams’ showdown with Utah
State. The game, won in the last exciting moments
of regulation, was cheered on by relentless Ram
fans, led by the Marching Band, with members of
the Alumni Band.
A student performs in the Spring ’15 production of
The Hobbit.
Alumni Spotlight:
Gustavo Vargas, ‘97
Originally from Mexico City and raised in Houston,
Texas, Gustavo entered CSU on an academic scholarship for psychology. Seeing what a good dancer he
was after some nights having fun in Old Town Fort
Collins, a few of his friends encouraged
him to take some dance classes.
“I never thought I would’ve
been interested in dance. As a kid, I
was way more into sports – football,
swimming, cross country,
you name it,” Gustavo
said. “But when I got
to college, I realized I needed something different than just hitting the
books.”
After graduating in fall 1997
with a Dance & Musical Theatre degree, Gustavo moved to Los Angeles.
“My mom thought I was crazy
when I told her what I wanted to do
after graduation, but I told her that
Become a member of Friends of the UCA, and make your gift today.
Learn more at UCA.colostate.edu/about-us/support
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“Thanks for inviting me this past weekend to
play with the CSU Alumni M-band! I had a blast!
The weekend was very well organized, made me
feel very welcome, and EVERYONE worked very
hard to make sure we alumni were well taken care
of and included. I got to meet the drum line captain
and speak to him about our commonality of being
Troopers. The parade and bonfire and tailgate
events were super fun and brought back so many
memories… and then that game!” ~Karen N. ‘86
I just had to try or I’d always wondering what could
have been,” said Gustavo.
Despite his current success, it wasn’t always easy
for him.
“I moved to L.A. with $300,” he remembered.
“I was working double shifts at my waiting job and
crashing on a friend’s couch for a while.”
A few months later, he crashed an audition with
a friend, and ended up getting booked by a new
artist by the name of Brittany Spears.
Now his career has lead him to dance, choreograph, and tour with artist such as Jennifer Lopez,
Marc Anthony, MADONNA, Will Smith, Usher,
Pink, Mya, Alicia Keys, Paulina Rubio, Roselyn
Sanchez, Enrique Iglesias, N’Sync, Jessica Simpson,
and Eva Longoria to name a few. He has also choreographed and danced on Television shows such as American Idol, Dancing With
The Stars, So You Think You Can Dance Bruno and
Carrie Ann’s Dance Wars, True Blood, The Grammys,
American Idol, and has worked on movies such as The
Bachelor, Dirty Dancing II-Havana Nights, Spanglish,
Along Came Polly, and more. He has also made his
acting debut on the TV show Strong Medicine.
“It’s been a great road! I’ve been fortunate and
I’m so thankful,” said Gustavo. “Don’t be afraid to
look foolish or even fail, because you’re only going to
grow from that – open your mind and your heart to
really learn.”
Gustavo returned to campus in April 2014 to
give a master class to CSU dance students and share
his journey with them. His first time in the new
University Center for the Arts, he was so excited for
students today (and maybe a little jealous).
“They’re so lucky! It’s almost like ‘FAME,’ having
all the arts in one place and not separated like they
were before,” he said. “What a benefit to having your
friends and fellow artists together where they can all
be involved in what’s going on.”
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Colorado State University Foundation
P.O. Box 1870
Fort Collins, CO 80522-1870
L1522/52943